RAD performance course

[margotmargot]

Hi,

 

I'm thinking about taking the RAD 2-week performance course in London this August. Has anybody taken it? Is it fun?

 

I'm not too familiar with contemporary or jazz and this course requires us to take classes in both of these, as well as in ballet and repertoire -- I would have rather taken the Summer Intensive, ballet only but at 30 I'm too old. :/

 

I'm also planning to take the Rad exam prep course and I'm just trying to locate a teacher around New York who could register me - not sure how it goes or how closely associated you have to be with a teacher in order to be registered.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

x

[Miss Persistent]

I have not done any of RAD's London courses, but ones I have taken in Australia have always been good fun and quality education.

 

It would be up to an individual teacher to decide if they were happy to enter you for an exam. Some people may want you to be at their school for a period of time, others may just ask you to come and take some classes and asses from there - it is up to the individual. Your exam maek would go onto that teacher's record, so someone who does not know you may take that into consideration.

 

Have you tried contacting to USA RAD office? I have found them very helpful and they have a list of teachers by location. Their email is info@radusa.org

[margotmargot]

Thank you. RAD HQ in Battersea was kind enough and said that if I take the exam prep course there, their teacher will be authorized to sign for me, if she decides that I hit the mark.....I'm very thankful for that as it makes life (hopefully) much easier. In the meantime I have to get it together and hopefullly motivate my teacher to clean up my work and get me ready for this. )

 

Do you think that if my teacher has a Russian background, that can be a disadvantage? I'm planning to buy the book on the exam and follow whatever is there.

 

Thank you.

[Doubleturn]

Which exam are you thinking of taking? The new Intermediate Foundation and Intermediate syllabi have a much more "Russian" feel to them than the previous exams. Advanced 1 and 2 new versions have not been released yet. But in any case I don't think you would be disadvantaged by a teacher with a Russian background.

[Miss Persistent]

I agree with Doubleturn in that a good teacher is a good teacher, regardless of what method they trained in. The only hiccup you might run in to if you are trying to teach yourself from the book is different terminology - the English school uses different words for the same steps as the Russian school who uses different words to the Italian school etc etc.... The RAD does produce a DVD of the exam work which could be useful for checking you have the exact right interpretation, or there is also a book called "Foundations of Classical Ballet" which specifies how the RAD want each step to be performed.

[DaPixie]

My teacher is not an RAD teacher, yet he successfully prepped me for the RAD Intermediate Foundation examination last year.

 

I so wish I could take the RAD exam prep course in London too this year, but I don't think I will be able to go there. I hope that you can afford to take it.

[Hamorah]

I don't think that there is a summer intensive without contemporary and jazz or character. However there are other summer intensives in London that you might be able to do depending how advanced you are. I have heard though that the Performance Course is fun to do.

[margotmargot]

Thank you all for your valuable advice <3

 

This far I applied to the exam prep course and I'm still considering the performance course....not sure of the schedule...it's 5 hrs dancing a day (no schedule released...intervals?) plus rehearsals....and I was hoping to do other London based activities, too. Also I just wanted to do ballet...

 

Do you know of a less well known but real deal place somewhere out there (not a big machine place with crowded studios)? I'll probably be renting in Chelsea but of course can travel anywhere that's not too complicated

 

Is there open ballet at the Royal Ballet studios in the summer? Like in Denmark the studios in the Opera House are empty in July and they have the Bartholin seminar there..

any tips much appreciated.

 

Thanks xx